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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

I am, in fact, on a holiday blogcation. I'm just stopping by long enough to tell you that my fabulous critique partner, Andrea Cremer (Nightshade, Philomel) managed to wrangle both Luc and Gabe onto her blog today. AND she's giving away a signed copy of Personal Demons. Get the over there and enter!

Monday, December 20, 2010

On a personal note, it was one year ago tomorrow that the Personal Demons trilogy sold at auction, so I want to send out a holiday hey to my seriously cool editor Melissa Frain. Happy anniversary!

There’s a chill in the air (it dipped to a nipply 60 degrees yesterday) and everyone at the mall has their elbows sharpened. It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Course, if you hang out in department stores, you probably thought that sometime in mid-September.

So, ho-ho-ho and all that.

Unfortunately, the economy has taken its toll on the North Pole. A new contract for Santa has finally been negotiated. He swung by to check in on uncle Ebenezer (he ascertained the relationship because I have nary a decoration anywhere in sight) and asked me to pass along the following information:

To Whom It May Concern:

I regret to inform you that, effective immediately, I will no longer be able to serve Southern United States on Christmas Eve. Due to the overwhelming current population of the earth, my contract was renegotiated by North American Fairies and Elves Local 209. I now serve only certain areas of Canada and the northern boarder states.

As part of the new and better contract I also get longer breaks for milk and cookies so keep that in mind. However, I made certain that your children will be in good hands with your local replacement who happens to be my third cousin, Bubba Claus. His side of the family is from the South Pole. He shares my goal of delivering toys to all the good boys and girls; however, there are a few differences between us.

Differences such as:

1. There is no danger of a Grinch stealing your presents from Bubba Claus. He has a gun rack on his sleigh and a bumper sticker that reads: These toys insured by Smith and Wesson.

2. Instead of milk and cookies, Bubba Claus prefers that children leave an RC cola and pork rinds [or a moon pie] on the fireplace. And Bubba doesn’t smoke a pipe. He dips a little snuff though, so please have an empty spit can handy.

3. Bubba Claus; sleigh is pulled by floppy-eared, flying coon dogs instead of reindeer. I made the mistake of loaning him a couple of my reindeer one time, and Blitzen’s head now overlooks Bubba’s fireplace.

4. You won’t hear On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen . . ., when Bubba Claus arrives. Instead, you’ll hear, On Earnhardt, on Wallace, on Martin and Labonte. On Rudd, on Jarrett, on Elliott and Petty.

5. Ho, ho, ho! has been replaced by “Yee Haw!” And you also are likely to hear Bubba’s elves respond, “I herd dat!”

6. As required by Southern highway laws, Bubba Claus’ sleigh does have a Yosemite Sam safety triangle on the back with the words “Back off”. The last I heard it also had other decorations on the sleigh back as well. One is a Chevy logo with lights that race through the letters and the other is a caricature of me (Santa Claus) going wee-wee on the Tooth Fairy.

7. The usual Christmas movie classics such as Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life will not be shown in your negotiated viewing area. Instead, you’ll see Boss Hogg Saves Christmas and Smokey and the Bandit IV featuring Burt Reynolds as Bubba Claus and dozens of state patrol cars crashing into each other.

8. Bubba Claus doesn’t wear a belt. If I were you, I’d make sure you, the wife, and the kids turn the other way when he bends over to put presents under the tree.

9. And finally, lovely Christmas songs have been sung about me like Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer and Bing Crosby’s Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. This year songs about Bubba Claus will be played on all the AM radio stations in the South. Those song titles will be Mark Chesnutt’s Bubba Claus Shot the Jukebox, Cledus T. Judd All I Want for Christmas Is My Woman and a Six Pack, and Hank Williams Jr.’s If You Don’t Like Bubba Claus, You can Shove It.

Sincerely Yours, Santa Claus
(member of North American Fairies and Elves Local 209)

*thanks to christmasjokes.wordpress.com

I'm leaving Thursday for Atlanta, where there is supposed to be flurries. I'm not sure my thin California blood can handle that. O_O By the time I get back, I fully intend to have a finished draft of Hellbent (my Chrismas gift to myself) and a winner for my December Debut and Second Ever Original Sin ARC contest.

Thank you all for an amazing year! I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have the BEST followers! Have a happy, healthy holiday and a fabulous New Year!

Friday, December 17, 2010

They say to be an author you have to grow a thick skin. Elephants have thick skin, and I don't really want to look like and elephant--or a aligator--or a hippo--or any of those things. But I get what they mean. There's a lot of rejection and then, when you think that you've finaly made it and everyone is going to get to read your awesome book, you find out that not everyone loves it as much as you do. So it's really wonderful when you read a review of your book and just know that the reader really got what you were trying to do. I have to say that I wrote Personal Demons for teens, and even though I appreciate every single one of my adult readers, it's the teen reviews I take most to heart. I have yet to read a review written by a teen who did not like Personal Demons, so that makes me feel pretty good.

There are so many wonderful reviews to choose from that choosing just five was hard. The first is a review that so totally understood everything I was trying to relate that I have to put it in here even though it was written by a professional reviewer, but the others I chose from a huge pool of teen reviews. So, here are excerpts from my fave five PD reviews of 2010 with links to the full review:

Barnes&Noble.com review by Paul Goat Allen:
While comparing an unassuming debut novel to an international pop culture phenomenon may be unfair, the reality is this: Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers is better written than Twilight, has more well developed and realistic characters, and is decidedly more edgy and existentially weighty. Yes, I completely understand the mass appeal of Meyer’s Twilight saga – and while angels and demons may not be as “sexy” as werewolves with abs of steel and brooding vampiric James Dean wannabes, the profoundly deep questions raised in Personal Demons (about the existence of God, the inanity of organized religion, the healing power of forgiveness, etc.) make it a much more forceful read.
As the novel progresses, the decidedly YA paranormal romance element expands into a storyline more indicative of an adult paranormal fantasy – Frannie, with the help of her friends, must figure out her place in the world and is forced to make decisions that will not only affect her but the entire mortal realm…
I was pleasantly surprised with this debut novel. Personal Demons was Twilight with a soul – I’d recommend it not only for young adult readers but anyone who enjoys paranormal romance.

The Naughty Book Kitties review by Brent Taylor
Frannie Cavanaugh, the sweet Catholic girl having doubts about her faith, doesn’t know what in the hell to do with herself when she starts catching an eye for the two new boys in town. There’s Luc, who works in the acquisitions department of Hell, tagging souls to be sent to Hades. Both Luc and the King of Hell want her bad… but so do the Angels, and they’ve sent one of their best to get her. Gabe. But does Frannie know any of this shit?! No. All she thinks is, “Damn, Luc’s pretty dark and sexy, but Gabe’s gotta nice ass.”
I loved the use of humor in Personal Demons. It kind of keeps it from being melodramatic, while still upholding the high tension levels. Lisa Dez did that perfect, as well. She added new elements to an old storyline, Heaven vs. Hell. Good vs. Bad. Which is eaxactly what writers are supposed to do. Each story has already been told, so writers tell these stories with a new spin and original voice. Lisa is definitely an author I’ll be following. :)
I know this sounds corny, but I loved every page of Personal Demons. (Please don’t call me a YA blogging hooker! I try not to sound corny, but sometimes I’m unable to!) The characters were real and funny, the plot was “Damn, girl,” and the ending was like “F#@k, now I gotta go hooker myself out to the publisher so I can get the sequel SOON!”

Mini Bookinista Review by Kylie Jefferis
Lisa Desrochers tells an intriguing tale in Personal Demons. Teen readers (especially the females) will identify with Frannie, the protagonist, from the get go. Being the only member in her large Catholic family to ever be expelled from school makes her just enough of an anti goody-goody to not be boring. She also suffers from chronic boy issues, which I can relate to.

Frannie is pursued by two boys … who aren’t actually boys. Lucifer and Gabriel are out for her soul, but they also want her affection. This keeps the story interesting for girls who like all different kinds of guys. Bad boys, knights in shining armor, silly rockers, and everything in between.

Boys, friends, the difference between right and wrong and being popular, changes, guilt, and the hell we know as high school all come together in this beautifully written novel of love, religion, and finding who you are.

Lisa Desrochers' writing is pure genius. I cannot believe she is not a teenager! There was realistic teen lingo without it being overdone or cheesy. Frannie and Luc's voice was just incredible. I found it so easy to put myself into their shoes and feel the same emotions as they did. I absolutely adored the duel narration from Frannie and Luc! It was so much fun being inside their minds as they found themselves falling for one another.

I can't even count the times I laughed my butt off while reading. I loved the play on words(especially from Luc) and just the all around hilarious dialog.

Not only did Lisa pull of amazingly swoon worthy boys, but she created the perfect leading lady. Frannie was strong, yet vulnerable at times. She was stubborn and knew how to defend herself. Frannie had all of the characteristics of an actual teenage girl. After reading Personal Demons you can't help but fall in love with Frannie! All of the characters change and develop throughout the story making it really awesome to go on this journey with them.

The plot was incredible. There was just full-out shockers that I had never seen coming! There's enough space and explanation to each twist so I didn't get lost going from one to the other.

I loved the writing style Lisa Desrochers wrote with. The whole time I was addicted to the story, never wanting to put it down. Several times I was telling myself I would put the book down after I finished just one more chapter. Do you think I put it down after that chapter? Hell no!
Sure there are plenty of books about angels and demons, but nothing like this. I was completely exhilarated during the entire duration of my reading experience with this book. I couldn't wait to read what would happen next with these entertaining characters in this astonishing world.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Yesterday was my fave five boys, so today it’s the girls’ turn. This is the list of my favorite five heroines I read or re-read in 2010.

Mia from If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

It was really hard leaving Adam off the list yesterday, but Mia is definitely here today. I’ve never read a character truer to herself than Mia. She loves her family and her boyfriend, but still values her individuality.

Calla Tor from Wolfsbane/Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

She’s doesn’t take crap off anyone.

Ellie from Angelfire/Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Ditto

Katniss Everdeen from Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Ditto (Are you seeing a pattern here?)

Sophie from Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

I occasionally get the interview question, “Which fictional character from another book would you pair Luc up with?” The answer is Sophie, but I can’t get into why without spoiling HH for those of you who haven’t read it. ;p

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Today’s fave five list is my favorite fictional boys/men that I read or re-read in 2010. There are some new friend, and a few old ones on this list. Again, these are in no particular order.

Henry from The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I love the whole concept of Henry. He’s sweet, but jaded. He gets pretty beat up but takes it all in stride.

Wes from The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Just got around to reading this one a few months ago. Wes is the perfect boyfriend.

Wesley from The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Who doesn’t love a good man-whore.

Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

I re-read this every four or five years. Heathcliff is just so deliciously warped.

Camden Saybrook from Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas

I’d never read a woman’s romance before and I thought it would be good research to see how a book that’s totally driven by characters and emotion works, so I picked this one up a few years ago and read it. OMG! Camden Saybrook is just…there aren’t words. I just reread it this summer as a treat. If you like historical romance, I highly recommend this one.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

My fave five list today is 2011 releases I’d pimp myself for. I am totally thrilled that the Elevensies took me in when they found me wandering the publishing desert alone and hungry. Because I’m part of this community of incredible writers, I’m very acquainted with many of the truly fabulous books that are on the horizon in 2011. Many of them, I’ve been dying to get my hand on for some time, and where I was able to finagle ARCs or manuscript exchanges, I did, so I’ve read some of them already. Here’s the list of 2011 (and 2012) releases I’ve already read and loved:

Wolfsbane (2011) and Bloodrose (2012) by Andrea Cremer

Angelfire (2011) and the sequel, Wings of the Wicked (2012) by Courtney Allison Moulton

A Touch Mortal (2011) by Leah Clifford

The Near Witch (2011) by Victoria Schwab

False Memory (2012) by Dan Krokos

And a super sekrit 2011 release by an author whose 2010 release was on my list yesterday (under pain of death, that’s all I can say) ;p

But…there are a ton of 2011 releases I have been unable to get my grubby little hands on. So my fave five list today is 2011 releases I’d totally pimp myself for. Here they are in no particular order:

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Possession by Elana Johnson

Wildefire by Karsten Knight (Original Sin and Wildefire covers have been featured together on several blogs, so we’ve decided they’re a tabloid couple now)

Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

The Faery Ring by Kiki Hamilton

I had Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore on there, but I heard rumors that it’s being pushed back =(

Monday, December 13, 2010

All this week I will be posting 2010 fave five lists. Today’s list is books. These are the five books I read this year that stuck with me long after I put them down. (not in any particular order) Remember that they may not all have been published this year.

If I Stay, by Gayle Forman

Can I just say WOW! I loved everything about this book. I often get the interview question, “Which book do you wish you wrote?” I’ve never been able to answer that question, because there are so many books that I adore. But now I have an answer. If I Stay is beautifully written, but not flowery. The characters jump off the page because Gayle is able to paint us such a complete picture of them without boring us with minutia. She finds the perfect balance. And, yes, I cried.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

This book is pure genius. I laughed out loud throughout the entire book, even though the subject matter was pretty serious. The writing is that good.

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Not only is Kody about the cutest and nicest person I’ve ever known, but she writes a killer story with a totally delicious man-whore who I’m still lusting after ten months after reading the thing.

I hate to say it, but Mockinjay by Suzanne Collins still has me picking it up to re-read sections, just to make sure…

And, I’m going to cheat a little and lump two books by the same author in at number five. I read Nightshade by my fabulous critique partner, Andrea Cremer last year, so I can’t include it here. But I can include Wolfsbane and Bloodrose, which are both OMG! And that’s all I’m allowed to say about them =)

Friday, December 10, 2010

I'm totally stoked that the nine fabulous bloggers participating in "The Best I Read 2010" have included Personal Demons in their list.

What that means for you is there will be a TON of signed copies of Personal Demons up for grabs. My understanding is each of the nine blogs will be giving away a signed copy, and the contests will be open through Dec. 15. Click the button or the link above to be magically transported to the land of FREE BOOKS, better known as the Best I've Read blog. There, you can peruse all the fabulous giveaways, such as my awesome critique partner, Andrea Cremer's Nightshade! Lots of books up for grabs just in time for holiday reading. =)

The blogs that have already posted their giveaways for Personal Demons are linked below.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Dovetailing off of yesterdays OCD post about editing is todays OCD post about sales numbers. As cool, calm and collected as I try to appear about book sales, the C word that truly describes me when it comes to this aspect of authorhood is certifiable. The cold, hard truth for an author is that you only get to write more books if editors want to buy them, and editors only want to buy them if your previous books have sold well. I want to write more books. So that means, I need Personal Demons to sell.

I obsessively check my B&N and Amazon ranking every morning and every night. Like clockwork. Up until now, those have been an author's only way of getting a feel for what their book is doing. BUT...

All you obsessive authors, take note! When your editor quotes you sales numbers, she/he gets those numbers from BookScan. That number doesn't reflect every single book sold, and e-books are not included, but it gives you a solid sense of how your physical books are fairing out in the world. Publishers pay thousands of dollars a month to access this service.

But guess what?

If you have an Author Central account on Amazon, you can now sign up to track your national BookScan numbers for FREE!!!! For all you OCD authors out there, here's the link!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

So, I have a confession to make. I’m neurotic—sort of. I’m a perfectionist. I hate to make mistakes. But, I've discovered that a person can drive themselves insane revising and editing a manuscript, and still, it won't be perfect. There is a typo in Personal Demons that will haunt me till my dying day.

I'm waiting right now for first pass pages of Original Sin, which is an authors last opportunity to make changes to the manuscript. It's already been through line edits and copyedits, so you think there wouldn't be much left to find, but I already have a list, and I'm sure it will grow substantially as I start working through the pages. There are a few glaring errors that I noticed after copyedits and, because I can't stand to make mistakes, I hate that those are going to be in the ARC for everyone to see. I'm sure you'll all find them. Don't judge me too harshly.

So, for all you readers out there, my question to you is: How much do typos/mistakes in a manuscript bother you as you read? And to all you writers: How obsessively do you edit your manuscript?

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

So, you knew I couldn't go all week without another contest, and here it is.

This one is called the Book Club's 31 Days of ChristmasGiveaway, and is hosted by Crissi.

Despite the name, you have more than 31 chances to win signed books and other stuff. Today's prize is a signed copy of Personal Demons by moi! All you have to do is answer the following question on Crissi's blog to be entered. But don't screw around, because the contest is over at midnight EST tonight.

So, here's the question you need to answer for a chance to win:Elves make all the toys Santa delivers on Christmas Eve to all the good little children of the world. How many days a year do the elves work on the toys?
Remember, DO NOT answer this question here. Go here: http://crissi-b.blogspot.com/ and leave your answer in comments of the post on Personal Demons.

If I have left you totally confused, you can read Crissi's explanation of the contest here.

Also, there are two other contests going on for signed copies of Personal Demons through BIR2010 (Best I Read 2010) You can enter here on Mundie Mom's blog or here on the A Reader's Ramblings blog!

Monday, December 6, 2010

I was sooooo busy giving away ARCs of Original Sin last week that I didn’t have time to wish Personal Demons a HAPPY BIRTHDAY in Brazil! My baby is roaming the streets of Rio and Sao Paulo, making friends and seeing sights =)

The Brazilian cover is totally cool.

There are quotes from Frannie, Luc and Gabe on the jacket flap, which is fun, and a table of contents inside.

All I can say is that it must take a lot more words to tell a story in Portuguese, because chapter 23 (the last) starts on page 456. The whole English version is only 368 pages. O_O

So, anyway, happy Brazilian birthday to Personal Demons! Now I just need to find someone who speaks Portuguese to read it to me so I know what it says! Any volunteers? ;p

Friday, December 3, 2010

Before we get to the winner of the FIRST EVER ORIGINAL SIN ARC CONTEST, I want to let all my Bay Area (CA) readers know that I'm signing this Saturday (tomorrow) at the Borders in Pleasant Hill from 4-6. If you're going to be out holiday shopping, come hang out with me so I have someone to talk to instead of going very slowly insane listening to Christmas music repeat on a loop for two hours. O_O

So, the contest...

All I have to say is WOW! I think you guys broke Google docs. The response to the FIRST EVER ORIGINAL SIN ARC CONTEST was huge. I had nearly twice as many entries as I’ve ever had for any contest I’ve run!

I want to thank all of you for the enthusiastic response. You’ve made me very happy. *dancing* I want to especially thank the awesome bloggers who helped me spread the word:

If you didn’t win, never fear! There is another contest going on RIGHT NOW for another Original Sin ARC here! This will be the last contest for Original Sin for a while, so go enter if you haven’t already :p

Thursday, December 2, 2010

You guys made me very happy yesterday! Thanks for all the enthusiastic Original Sin cover love! Since nearly everyone on the planet has already entered the VERY FIRST ORIGINAL SIN ARC CONTEST, I’m going to post the cover here now. Here it is in all Gabe’s glory!

If you haven’t entered the ARC contest, you can still do that up until midnight tonight. And remember, Original Sin is already up for pre-order on Barnes & Noble and Amazon! :p

And now for my December Debut Contest!

Every month all year long, I’ve offered up some fabulous YA debuts novels in my monthly Debut Contests. So now, at my very last *sobs* Debut Contest, I’m going to come clean and tell you, my fabulous followers, the real story.

My truly fabulous agent sold the Personal Demons trilogy at auction on December 22 last year, and shortly thereafter, we found out Tor was crashing it into their fall list. Most books take 15-18 months from book deal to shelves. Plenty of time for revisions, edits and publicity. ARCs are out in the world six months ahead of release to generate some buzz.

That’s how it usually works.

But for Personal Demons, we were on the shelves in less than nine months after the deal, and I was terrified that we’d release and no one would ever have heard of it. So, honestly, these contests started out as a desperate ploy to lure unsuspecting readers to my blog, coattailing other peoples’ fame, to get the word out about Personal Demons. I never anticipated the enthusiastic response to my contests, or that they would grow to be so popular. What amazed me even more was, given the choice of four other truly fabulous debuts or mine, every single winner (with the exception of January) chose a signed copy of Personal Demons. It was humbling—and a little scary. Because, as I started shipping out the ARCs, I was suddenly terrified you’d all hate it and I’d somehow betrayed your trust. (I still get nervous when people tell me they’re reading Personal Demons.)

Some of you have been around since January, entering every single contest. Others are newer to the blog. I want you to know I appreciate every single one of you and am so grateful for your support and encouragement.

But you guys are here to win more books, not hear me blather and get all sentimental, so here we go…

Tuesday I teased you and said that, once again, there were going to be two signed books up for grabs in my very last *sobs again* Debut Contest. One, as usual, is Personal Demons. But I told you the other was a mystery ARC. You guys are pretty smart, so I'm sure most of you figured out that it’s Original Sin! So here's your chance to win the SECOND EVER ORIGINAL SIN ARC!

The rules this month are the same as always. All you have to do to enter is comment on this post by noon (PST) on Friday, December 31st. Nothing fancy, you can just say hi or ask a question. (I love to answer questions, especially about my books!) In addition to commenting (for which you get one point) you can accumulate extra points as follows:

Old blog follower: +3 points

New blog follower: +2 points
Follow me on Twitter (@LisaDez) +2 points
Link to my contest post on your blog or twitter: +1 point
Dedicated post with link to my contest on your website/blog: +3 points
Add me to your blogroll: +2 pointsAdd up your points on your entry, and please remember to tell me how to find you (email address). And remember, there will be no rollover points. Points start new every month.

The winner will be chosen by the randomizer and posted on the blog after noon on December 31st.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I know some of you are here to enter my much anticipated (to me, anyway) December Debut Contest for a signed copy of Personal Demons and a second mystery ARC. But...I have some exciting news!

Do you want to see the Original Sin cover?

Well, do ya????

I thought so.

I'm going to send you on a little journey to find it. And when you find it, make sure to notice the tagline, cuz you're going to need it if you want to enter my Original Sin ARC contest! You heard me right! You--yes, YOU--can win the very first Original Sin ARC! You want it? Uh-huh.

Did you comment on the blog while you were there? No? Well, you might want to think about going back and doing that, cuz you'll get one extra entry into the contest for each of those cover posts you comment on. (One per blog, please ;p) So, if you comment once on each of their OS cover posts, that's nine additional entries!

You can also earn extra entries for Tweeting or blogging links to this contest! (+2 each)

To enter, you must be a follower here on the blog and fill out the form below. This contest ends at midnight PST tomorrow (12/2/10), so get theeself to those blogs and comment, then fill out the form! Good luck!

And I haven't forgotten about my December Debut Contest! It will post tomorrow, cuz you know me. I can't stop myself!

a little too far series

A LITTLE TOO HOT (ALTF #3)
When 21 yo Samantha West takes a job as an exotic dancer out of desperation, her first private client makes her want to break all the rules, but his secret will probably get her killed.Barnes & Noble,iBooks,Amazon